1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor circuit having a controller by means of which the semiconductor memory circuit can be switched into a standby mode with a reduced current consumption, and to a method for operating a semiconductor memory circuit in a standby mode with a reduced current consumption.
2. Description of the Related Art
Integrated semiconductor memory circuits can often be operated in a standby mode in which, on the one hand, they perform no functions or only a reduced number of functions and, on the other hand, they also have only a reduced current consumption or power requirement, and from which they can be put into an operation mode with unrestricted functionality at any time within a minimum time duration. Primarily in the case of mobile devices that are supplied with electrical power by batteries or accumulators, this standby mode is important to minimize the average power requirement and to maximize the service time with a battery or accumulator charge. This is all the more important as, on the one hand, these mobile devices, for example mobile telephones, organizers, etc., or at least many components thereof are or can be often operated predominantly in a standby mode and, on the other hand, an ever more extensive functionality is integrated, which drives up the power requirement outside the standby mode.
By way of example, various portions of refresh circuits, leakage currents and supply currents for analog components contribute to the standby current or to  the power requirement in the standby mode. For low-power applications or applications which are optimized for a low power requirement, leakage currents can be reduced in part by means of circuit technology or by means of technological parameters that have been rendered less stringent. The power requirement of refresh circuits can be kept small by optimizing the partitioning, in particular by bit lines that are as short as possible.
Therefore, there is a need for a semiconductor memory circuit and a method for operating a semiconductor memory circuit which has a reduced power requirement in a standby mode.